Too Soon? Grim Kim’s Best of 2013… So Far
2013 has been rife with outstanding debuts and new blood, as well as a few welcome returns. It’s already been a big year for death metal, with newjacks like Senobyte and Scolex leading the charge with their stupidly heavy, grimy death/doom mutations and old flames like Antediluvian and Skeletal Spectre turning up armed to the teeth. Bölzer and Ogdru Jahad blindsided me with their latest transgressions (Bölzer especially – do not sleep on them!) and the black metal, doom, and heavy rock camps have had plenty to offer as well. Keep an eye on Recluse and SwarÞ if you like your black metal raw, primitive, and uncompromising, or take Grave Upheaval, Aosoth, Arch Daeva, or Fell Voices for a whirl if you’re feeling more adventurous. Summoning’s grandiose, keyboard-driven black metal epics will wholly satisfy your inner Tolkien fanboy, too. Blood Ceremony, Jex Thoth, and Purson are the best bands currently upholding Coven’s damned legacy. Agrimonia and Inter Arma are going to be on a lot of year-end lists, and deserve every scrap of the heaps of praise they’ve already gotten for their masterful 2013 albums. And ultimately, Lycus, Ensorcelor, and Moloch will fucking crush you.
The harder you look, the more you find. I’m sure I’ll come across sixteen new bands to add to this by the middle of next week, but for now, what have I missed?
Agrimonia – Rites of Separation (Southern Lord)
Arch Daeva – Kia – Escaping the Pain of Creation (Death Knell Productions)
SwarÞ – Mors Rex Salvator Hominum (Exitium Productions)
Lycus – Tempest (20 Buck Spin)
Senobyte – Demo (self-released)
Skeletal Spectre – Voodoo Dawn (Pulverised)
Ruin Lust – S/T (Psychic Violence)
Inter Arma – Sky Burial (Relapse)
Blood Ceremony – The Eldritch Dark (Rise Above/Metal Blade)
Summoning – Old Mornings Dawn (Napalm)
Cloud Rat – Moksha (Halo of Flies)
Antediluvian – Logos (Nuclear War Now!)
Ensorcelor/Moloch split (Feast of Tentacles)
Fell Voices – Regnum Saturni (Gilead Media)
Jex Thoth – Blood Moon Rise (I Hate Records)
Recluse – Demo (Graceless Recordings)
Ogdru Jahad – I (Iron Bonehead)
Bölzer– Aura (Iron Bonehead)
Grave Upheaval – TBA (Nuclear War Now!)
Purson – The Circle And The Blue Door (Rise Above/Metal Blade)
Aosoth – IV: Arrow In Heart (Agonia)
